{"id":7232,"date":"2015-05-22T17:47:20","date_gmt":"2015-05-22T21:47:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.fitnyc.edu\/hottopicsinsider\/?p=7232"},"modified":"2020-01-21T18:57:06","modified_gmt":"2020-01-21T22:57:06","slug":"meet-svetlana-zakharina","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.fitnyc.edu\/hottopicsinsider\/2015\/05\/22\/meet-svetlana-zakharina\/","title":{"rendered":"Meet Svetlana Zakharina!"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Svetlana<\/p>\n

So, tell us a little about yourself<\/b><\/i><\/span>\u2026<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

Why fashion? Where did it all begin?<\/span> <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/a> M<\/span>y roots of special-occasion designing <\/span>began in Russia where the seeds were first planted that led to my future creative career. I grew up with a passion and enthusiasm for the arts, beauty, wellness, & fashion\u2026I painted, and drew, and cooked\u2026and then designed clothing. By essence, I am a creator with a spiritual approach. I like to consider myself to be sort of a <\/span>sketcher <\/i><\/span>of all creations. With every project, <\/span>I visualize by sketching it out in my mind, manifest the \u201csketch\u201d in reality and bring my visions to life. My adoration for the whole process from creating to manifesting is why I am so very much in love with designing. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

How would you describe your career in fashion?<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

My career in fashion industry was multifaceted, and gave me an opportunity to learn every aspect of the business from concept to selling. I spent years handling product development, sourcing, design, merchandising and manufacturing. Working for well-known companies, small businesses and consulting along the way gave me the experience to expand my expertise into becoming an entrepreneur and dedicated designer.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Tell us a bit about your business. What makes it unique?<\/span> <\/strong>
\n<\/span>My bridal store, <\/span>Aleana\u2019s Bridal<\/span> in Ridgewood, New Jersey offers an elegant collection of custom-made gowns (\u00a0www.aleanasbridal.com<\/a>).\u00a0Custom-made is a “dying art” that has always fascinated me. It took me years to learn this art, from a sketch to a pattern, draping to sewing. It’s amazing how through color, fabric and styling techniques we are able to highlight and enhance a woman’s personality and femininity.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

What we can do in my sample room is amazing, giving all credits to my team of talented people, who help to implement my idea into the piece of art. We are using traditional couture techniques with novelty fabrics, laces, and hand embroideries to create this one-of-a-kind look my business offers in giving the modern woman a precious gown that can best complement her on her special day. The sole purpose of my work is devoted to enable women to explore their \u201cbrand\u201d of beauty and to guide them every step of the way that goes beyond just assisting in the selection from my store\u2019s Ready-to-Wear gowns, fittings, & custom dress design.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\"bridal<\/p>\n

We saw your custom made gowns featured in several magazines. What do you feel when you see your gown chosen again for a cover page?<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

It\u2019s always exciting to see your own designs on the cover page of well-known magazines. It’s so satisfying to have my work acknowledged, especially when editors choose your creations after searching hundreds of dresses! My work has been published in the 201 (Bride) and Manhattan Bride magazines many times during the last couple of years.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

You have been teaching at FIT and LIM College for over a decade. How are you balancing your business with teaching career?<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

It is energizing for me to do both. I consider teaching as a creative process of connection where you can share your passion and acquired knowledge with other people. Teaching gives me fresh inspiration to carry over with me in creating any aspect in the development of my business. And what helps me in balancing my business is truly my passion for design and fabrics. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Even after 12 valuable years teaching at the Fashion Institute of Technology and LIM College in NYC, I still love to share my skills and help students get closer to their dreams. Teaching is not only an opportunity for my own personal growth, but one in which is an exciting exchange of giving and sharing between my students that I thrive off of. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Do you have any \u201cwords of wisdom\u201d to share with our readers & future aspiring designers out there? <\/b><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

I would say\u2026don\u2019t be afraid to dream. Remember that everything is possible. I always say to my customers and students that there are no limitations in this world\u2026only fears can limit you. Twenty years ago, I would never believe that coming here from a different country, without speaking in English, going back to school and starting everything from scratch would bring me so close to the dreams of my life \u2013 designing and teaching. What helped me a lot is my passion and drive to learn, move, and evolve. I find the inspiration in daily life with my students and customers because I know if passion is lost, I will stop growing and developing. What could be more satisfying than to spread beauty and help people to get closer to their own dreams?<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

This interview has been taken and written by Jaclyn Ianetti<\/span><\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

So, tell us a little about yourself\u2026 Why fashion? Where did it all begin? My roots of special-occasion designing began in Russia where the seeds were first planted that led to my future creative career. I grew up with a passion and enthusiasm for the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":585,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"post-templates\/post-middle-column.php","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[16229],"tags":[28767],"class_list":["post-7232","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-instructors","tag-instructor"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p1v7EM-1SE","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.fitnyc.edu\/hottopicsinsider\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7232","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.fitnyc.edu\/hottopicsinsider\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.fitnyc.edu\/hottopicsinsider\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.fitnyc.edu\/hottopicsinsider\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/585"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.fitnyc.edu\/hottopicsinsider\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7232"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blog.fitnyc.edu\/hottopicsinsider\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7232\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.fitnyc.edu\/hottopicsinsider\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7232"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.fitnyc.edu\/hottopicsinsider\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7232"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.fitnyc.edu\/hottopicsinsider\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7232"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}